Did anyone else think the FRA long distance award was a poor relation at the presentations?
Pete Jebb who presented the things dismissed this prize on the basis that he knows "nothing about long distance" and nor apparently did anyone else present.
Who was the winner (I vaguely heard the names) this year and why?
Steven Pyke and Lizzie Hawker won it for breaking the Everest Base Camp to Kathmandu record.
Apparently there's going to be a proper presentation today at the Ultra-Running Championships presentation evening.
I thought it was a shame that it was glossed over at the FRA do.
Bill, I didn't make it to the dinner so can't comment directly.Originally Posted by BillJ
It seems a shame that the presenter of the award was in a position to declare his own lack of involvement with long distance endeavour. I guess someone asked him to do the job and he did what felt right on the night.
Am I right to recall that the FRA award morphed out of the BG Club's own award which was sponsored (paid for) for a number of years by Fred and Margaret Rogerson and Alan Heaton?
With a bit of prior planning, you would think it would be possible to arrange for one of the greats of long distance mountain endeavour to present the award and put the particular achievement of the winners into some kind of context for the assembled throng.
Who better to present the award for instance than Joss, or Marks McD or Hartell, Anne herself or Helene Whitaker.
Mark H would have been particularly appropriate bearing in mind the winners this time.
Not being close enough to the seat of power, it may be that this sort of thing has been talked over and found to be too hard to organise. And I'm not sure who you would look to raise this with at FRA level.
It feels like we (they) could do better with a bit of effort but I certainly don't have the full picture.
Morgan
Just to put the record straight, it wasn't Pete Jebb presenting the prizes
Any idea who it was?
Hi all,
Mark Hartell gave a great presentation of the Everest base camp to Kathmandu trip at the Runfurther party on Saturday. He announced the award and Steve Pyke said a few words but I think they said they were going to try to arrange the presentation proper for some time when Lizzie was available.
Not sure if that adds much to your discussion or not really, sorry
Cheers,
Clare
No, it was Pete Bland. My mix up of surnames.
I'd agree Morgan, but as you say maybe its been discussed and discarded. Perhaps it's felt that the Runfurther ultra-distance championship do is a more suitable setting to announce it. Or perhaps neither Lizzie nor Spyke could make the FRA do.
Have to ask Martin Stone about it since he's the man who organises the award.
Oh and Chris Small - you'll have to get a better grip on surnames.
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